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Published on 12/08/1999 All articles from this issue

Community split on where to relocate child-care centers at LASD

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Despite the scarcity of child-care centers in Los Altos, some city residents would rather send the care providers at the Covington School site packing than have them relocate elsewhere on Los Altos School District property.

The district plans to reopen Covington as an elementary school in fall 2001 as part its $94.7 million master facility plan to renovate each of its school sites.

As of last month, about 75 residents living near Egan Intermediate School had signed a petition against relocating a child-care center on the Egan campus, saying the center would generate more traffic on their already congested streets. Others opposed the idea of bringing non-school residents onto the campuses.

On the other side of the coin is a group of more than 100 residents who have petitioned to keep the child-care centers on school property.

"I've been in child care for 14 years. It's hard for me to expect anyone to be against it," said Mary Ashley, director of Early Horizons child-care center at Covington.

The center, which serves about 68 families, has operated from Covington for the past 20 years.

Ashley said she understands the concerns over potential traffic problems, but "it's extremely manageable. We're more than willing to work with the community to figure out the best traffic plan."

The child-care providers say they don't believe the centers will add any congestion to the school campuses.

Informal traffic studies show that families who use the child-care facilities don't drop off or pick up their children at the peak hours just before and after school.

Ashley said fewer than 10 parents an hour drop off or pick up their children from the Early Horizons according to the traffic study. She said about 65 percent of those children at the center come from Los Altos families.

School officials said the possibility of relocating the centers has always been an option in its master facility plan in order to preserve some of the $400,000 in lease revenues it receives annually from its Covington tenants.

Board members agreed last month to continue to explore options to relocate some of child-care centers to Blach, Egan and to the back of Covington school, though nothing is certain.

Ashley would not comment about the center's next step.

"I believe the district will operate in good faith and do what's best for the tenants and families," she said.

Superintendent Marge Gratiot said the district hopes to find space "for as many (centers) as possible, without burdening the sites. I don't know what that (time)line is."

She said the current tentative plan is to carve out space at each of the three largest school sites.

The centers could enroll about 80 children on each site, or about 240 children total, she said.

"If you look at Covington now, we have buses, the Morgan Center, maintenance yard ... if you trade that traffic, for the elementary schools' now, there's less traffic."

She said the Egan neighbors are most unhappy about traffic problems on the weekends when sports groups use the school's fields.

For more information about the Los Altos School District's master facility plan, contact superintendent Marge Gratiot at 941-4010.